How will the lockdown impact South Africa’s university fees?
Thursday, 08 October 2020
We already have seen some of the consequences that COVID-19 has caused around the world. However, we are going to be experiencing consequences for many years to come and higher education is one of the affected. Discover how the pandemic impacted university tuition fees.
When will students who couldn’t study at all this year be able to finish their academic year?
Dr Blade Nzimande, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, has published a new framework detailing how tuition and accommodation fees at South African universities and other higher education institutions will be affected by the coronavirus lockdown.
Higher education students have already seen their education disrupted in many ways because of the pandemic. Because of the peak of the pandemic, the universities closed for several months.
Even though some students were able to keep on studying online, many others were unable to continue because their studies require practical activities. Because of this pause, some South African universities are only expected to complete their academic year in March 2021.
What will happen to tuition fees and accommodation costs?
As they are typically paid on an annual basis, the fact that students will start in March 2021 has raised questions about the costs. Many people are also worried about the NSFAS programme, which provides financial aid to a number of students.
The purpose of the new framework, according to Nzimande, is to prescribe temporary payment and cash flow measures currently necessary to alleviate and minimise the effects to the higher education sector caused by the Covid-19.
The framework includes:
- The payment of NSFAS allowances to students, particularly for living and accommodation expenses;
- The payment of university-managed accommodation fees for the 2020 and 2021 academic years;
- The payment of accommodation fees for those living in private accommodation, both university-leased and individually leased accommodation;
- The payment of tuition fees.
Minister Nzimande said that “The framework will also provide directives to officials of public higher education institutions to disseminate information and all applicable measures for implementation, to alleviate and contain the effects of the Covid-19 threat.”
Nzimande also stated that institutions, NSFAS, private fee-paying individuals and private accommodation providers will be assisted as well in order to alleviate the financial burden they face because of the pandemic.
Tuition fees and Accommodation costs
As regards the cost for tuition fees, they will remain the same for the 2020 academic year regardless of its length for each institution. He added that NSFAS payment for tuition fees to institutions will be made on the basis of the original agreed tuition fee.Regarding accommodation fees:
- Nzimande said that the cost for university-owned accommodation remains the same for the academic year, regardless of its length, capped to the end of March 2021. This assumes that while there will be periods of non-occupation, most students will return for a period of time to complete the academic year.
- NSFAS payments for university-owned accommodation will also remain at the same original level as with tuition fees.
“This means that wherever possible, the costs of both academic years would be conceptualised as a package and payments spread out over the full period,” he said.
In relation to individually-based private accommodation, where students are responsible for making payments themselves, the above principle will apply in respect of university accredited and registered private accommodation as far as possible.
These measures are intended to alleviate the financial burden posed to students because they are already suffering too much due to the fact that many of them were and are still unable to study properly, which will push all their academic studies back.
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